This line comes from abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ 1845 memoir “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” where he expands on the idea by saying he would rather face ridicule than be “false” and suffer his own self-disgust. His words encourage us to choose honesty even when it’s uncomfortable — to speak up, stand firm in our values, and resist the temptation to blend in just to keep the peace. Douglass reminds us that staying true to ourselves is not only the braver choice, but it’s also far kinder to the person we have to live with every day: ourselves.